Jordan Lasley gets scholarship offer from UCLA

Serra receiver is impressive with a 4.4 time in the 40. Loyola seven-footer Thomas Welsh goes from project to impact player.

It's a new era in college football recruiting. Sometimes it takes showing up at a camp to convince a school to offer a scholarship.

That's what happened Friday at UCLA, where receiver Jordan Lasley of Gardena Serra said he ran a 4.4 40-yard dash and made such a positive impression that he received a scholarship offer from the Bruins. On Saturday, he accepted the offer.

"It meant a lot," Lasley said. "I think of it as testament to my hard work. I was really appreciative."

There are risks in going to college camps, because the coaches get to see you up close and personal, and measurements and speed times might not match previous expectations. But the potential reward is convincing someone to make an offer.

Lasley was a starting receiver two years ago as a sophomore alongside future USC receiver Darreus Rogers at Carson. He transferred to Serra last season and got lost among the many stars for the Cavaliers. He's starting to thrust himself into the mix as a receiver and defensive back.

He definitely is hard to miss. Coach Scott Altenberg greeted him at Saturday's seven-on-seven passing competition at UCLA with a simple request: "Take off your earrings."

Lasley, who has a 3.6 grade-point average, is also known for being very talkative during games. Cornerbacks can either wear earplugs or be prepared for the repeated Lasley one-liners, such as, "You better bring your A game."

"I think of it as having fun," Lasley said.

Lasley already had offers from Boise State, Indiana and Utah, among others.

7-footer rising up

It's hard to believe that Thomas Welsh of Los Angeles Loyola was once considered a "project" by some people, meaning he had a long way to go before being an impact player.

The 7-foot senior has improved so much that he's going to be the subject of a major recruiting battle among most of the Pac-12 schools, and he's going to be able to score and rebound with the best centers in Southern California in the winter